KAMPALA–The highly contested race for the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) top job has come to an end with Sam Mwandha emerging as the victor.
Mwandha will replace Dr. Andrew Seguya as the next UWA executive director, according to information that PML Daily has obtained.
Efforts to talk to Tourism minister Ephraim Kamuntu to confirm the development were fruitless.
But sources intimated to PML Daily that Mwandha emerged top in the final interview, followed by Achilles Byaruhanga while Andrew Seguya came third.
Mwandha has worked at UWA at various positions, including being the warder for 10 years.
A fortnight ago, eight candidates sat both oral and written interviews. The same sources, who preferred not to be mentioned because they don’t speak for the commission, told PML Daily that a total of 22 applicants had shown interest in the job but only eight were picked.
They include Dr Andrew Seguya, the incumbent, whose contract expired in November last year; Dr. Gladys Kalema, a board member; Dr. Samson Werikhe of Gorilla Organisation; Dr Samuel Mugasi, the Executive director NAADS; Achilles Byaruhanga, a lecturer at the Department of Environment, Makerere University; Dr Daniel Alapa and Sam Mwandha.
Transparency
To ensure transparency in the recruitment of the next UWA executive director, the Ministry of Tourism rejected the private consultancy firms that had been hired to conduct interviews.
According to sources, board of trustees of UWA which had hired the firms, held discussions with the ministry and it was decided that the Public Service Commission takes over the process because of its track record.
Whistle blower complains
Although the Public Service Commission was hired to do the job, one whistle blower complained that it was single sourced.
The whistle blower also questioned the Shs21.8m which UWA paid to the Public Service Commission to recruit a new executive director.
But Justice Ralph Ochan, the chairperson of the commission, explained that they handled the recruitment process well, describing it a costly exercise.
“It involved hiring a hall with ICT facilities and a consultant,” he said.